Immediate Response
by only-some-loser
Summary: After the car is totaled, there is only one number that Jamie thinks to call, and he needs to call it immediately. (tag to 1x21, Cellar Boy)


**AN: I was rewatching this ep with my mom last night, and I couldn't get the idea that Jamie should've told someone about what happened, so this happened. The idea wouldn't leave me alone, so yeah. Just for clarity, this is a tag to 1x21, Cellar Boy. This is also my first time ever writing these characters. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!**

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Jamie's breath was coming in quick gasps as he stumbled out of his wrecked car. He was lucky to be alive. Someone had cut his breaks, someone had tried to kill him. Jamie leaned against the side of the car, and slid down it, his hands shaking. Someone - probably Malevsky - was trying to kill him. He pulled out his phone and quickly hit the number for his first emergency contact: Danny. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Hey, kid, can I call ya back?" he asked. "I just made a collar and I gotta get 'em processed."

Jamie tried to form the words, tried to tell Danny what had just happened, but his breath was still coming in quick gasps, and he couldn't slow them down. People had tried to kill him before, on the job, but then it was always in the heat of something, not a planned murder.

"Kid, you okay? What's goin' on?" his brother asked.

"Danny-" Jamie finally said. "I'm sorry, I'm fine," he rushed out. Calling Danny was a mistake. He couldn't tell him about the blue templar investigation, so what was he supposed to say? But there was no way that Danny was going to let this go, not when Jamie couldn't get his breathing under control.

"Jackie, you gotta handle this collar, somethin's wrong with Jamie," he heard through the phone. "Tell me where you are. Are you okay?" Danny asked him again. "Are you safe?"

"Someone cut my breaks," he finally said. Jamie took a deep breath. Finally, he was starting to be able to breath again. He was going to be fine. He rattled off the location of the docks the car crashed at, then took another deep breath. Danny was getting a cab and was on his way, he was going to be fine.

"I'm on my way, Jackie's handlin' my collar, don't worry about it," Danny said. "You sit tight, I'll be there as soon as I can, but stay on the line with me."

"Danny, I'm fine-"

"I'll be the judge of that, now you just stay on the line, okay?" Jamie could hear his brother giving Jackie a few instructions, then hailing a taxi. He gave the cabbie the location, with an added "step on it."

Soon enough, true to his word, Danny was there, and the cab was waiting. They would need it to take each of them home. Jamie hung up as Danny approached, but he couldn't bring himself to stand up yet. He didn't think his legs would support him just yet.

"Hey, kid," Danny said after jogging over to him. "What happened?" He glanced at the crushed hood of the car, then back at his little brother.

"Someone cut my breaks," Jamie muttered, not meeting Danny's gaze. Someone was trying to kill him, and he couldn't even tell his brother about it. This had been a mistake.

"Someone's tryin' to kill you?" Danny reiterated, his voice rising in anger. "I'll kill whatever son of a bitch puts his hands on you." His eyes held both fire and grief. Danny had already lost one little brother, and Jamie knew it would kill him to lose another.

"I'm okay," he muttered.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you are, that's why your hands are still shaking and you haven't stood up yet. Come on, kid, we'll take care of the car in the morning, let me get you home," Danny said, his voice, which at first was dripping with sardonic sarcasm, turning gentle and calming fast enough that it almost gave Jamie whiplash. Danny reached a hand down, and Jamie took it, his own hand still shaking, just like Danny had pointed out.

"I'm fine," he muttered again as Danny helped him to stand. Danny looked him up and down, as if checking to make sure that he really was fine. Once he was pleased with his observation, he pulled Jamie into a tight hug. Despite himself, Jamie returned it. He would never say so, but he was scared. Someone was trying to kill him, but there was always safety in the arms of his big brother.

"You better be, kid," Danny replied, moving a hand up from Jamie's back to his neck, then to his hair, pulling him even closer. Jamie allowed himself to be enveloped in his big brother's arms, and felt some of that fear slowly fade away. Danny would never let anything happen to him, especially after Joe. "Come on," Danny said, finally breaking the embrace. "Let me get you home." He kept his arm around Jamie's shoulders, and led him over to the cab. Danny stayed with him all the way home, and even walked up to his apartment with him. Right before Jamie could open the door, Danny forced his way in, gun drawn.

"Hey," Jamie protested with a sigh, but Danny cleared the apartment anyway.

"Okay," he said. "I think it's safe. Who is doin' this, kid?" he asked. Jamie knew the answer. It was the blue templar. But he couldn't exactly tell Danny that.

"I don't know," he lied. "I just want to go to bed." Another lie. Jamie knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, and even if he could, his dreams would likely be haunted.

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" Danny asked, ducking his head to force Jamie to meet his gaze. "Because I can stay, if you want."

"It's okay, Linda and the kids need you, I'll be fine." Jamie didn't bother to mention that he did kind of want his brother close. It didn't matter. He couldn't tell him anything.

"Yeah, but it's okay if you need me too," Danny gently replied. He sighed softly, then pulled Jamie in for another brief hug. "You stay safe, okay? If anything, and I mean anything, happens, you call me and you call 911 immediately, got it?" he insisted.

Jamie nodded, stepping back from his brother. If Danny stayed there any longer, Jamie was going to break and tell him everything, and he just couldn't do that.

"Goodnight, Danny, and thanks," he said instead.

"Always, kid," Danny replied. He walked back to the door and opened it. He glanced back at Jamie one more time, and it looked like he was going to ask him something, but then he didn't, closing the door behind him instead.

Jamie knew he wasn't off the hook, and Danny was just taking pity on him tonight. He let himself flop onto his bed, and sighed. He needed to tell Danny. He should've told him already. Tomorrow, he had to. He was going to.


End file.
